Kennings!
Read carefully!
A kenning is a much-compressed form of
metaphor, originally used in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry.
It is a concise compound or
figurative phrase replacing a common noun, especially in Old Germanic, Old
Norse, and Old English poetry.
In a kenning, an object is
described in a two-word phrase, such as 'whale-road' for 'sea'.
A kenning is commonly a
simple stock compound such as “whale-path” or “swan road” for “sea,” “God’s
beacon” for “sun,” or “ring-giver” for “king.” Many kennings are allusions that
become unintelligible to later generations
The term is a derivative of
the Old Norse kenna, “to perceive,” “to know,” or “to name.”
Some examples:
Blood: battle-sweat,
wound-sea Fire: sun of the houses the sea: whale-road, sail road, whale's way,
swan-road Ship: sea-steed the sun: sky-candle, sky's jewel the wind: breaker of
trees
And a more modern
example.... What do you make of it?
